Safety in the Tree's
by writerforlife.shelbyvr
Summary: The war has ended between ape and humans, and now humans are all but extinct. what will happen when one human saves an ape's life and is taken to the heart of Caesar's home? M rating for language, a little violence and later chapters OC x ? slight au set after dawn of the planet of the apes
1. Chapter 1 a friend lost and gained

**Hey everyone here's a new story! R and R!**

Chapter 1

Mira had been with Jason when it happened; when he decided it was a good idea to shoot a poor ape that must have been patrolling, then hold the other at gun point. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Mira yelled, her fiery red hair stuck to her face from the rain. "It… I… I thought it was going to attack me." Jason stuttered, his eyes wide with panic and confusion. "Well I would too if an idiot was pointing a gun at me." Mira growled taking the gun away from Jason and smacking him on the back the head with it, causing him to fall over. "Ow!" he yelped as Mira put the gun carefully on the ground and raised her hands. She then slowly approached the apes. The uninjured one bared his fangs at her and she froze. "Please, I don't mean you any harm, and neither did he. Please I am a doctor; I can help your friend." Mira reasoned. The uninjured one continue to bare his fangs, but less so. Slowly, Mira removed her back pack and approached the two apes. As she knelt down beside the injured one and opened her bag Jason sat up. "What the fuck are you doing Mira?" He growled, "It's just a stupid ape, it doesn't understand you." Mira sighed as she took a still good tennis ball out of her bag and threw it at Jason, hitting him square between the eyes causing him to fall back again as the ball bounced right back to Mira who caught it and placed it back in the bag pulling out tweezers and gauze. "They are **NOT** stupid, Jason! And they're not just apes either. Otherwise they wouldn't have reacted the way they did. Now just continue lying there and shut up or I will knock you out." Mira growled as she shuffled a little closer to the wounded ape who had forgotten his pain momentarily to stare wide-eyed at the duo, his face full of shock while his friend seemed to actually laugh a little.

"Funny… human…" The uninjured one managed, causing Jason to sit up once more with a look of bewilderment on his face. "T…The ape… it just… it just spoke!" He stuttered. Annoyed, Mira grabbed her tennis ball and swiftly turned while simultaneously throwing the tennis ball hard at Jason once again hitting between the eyes, this time knocking him out. Mira once again caught the ball, this time handing it to the injured ape before her. "I warned him, his fault not mine." Mira mumbled, before turning her attention once again back to the ape. "You will want to hold that, I have to remove the bullet from your shoulder and it will probably hurt really badly." Mila warned, the injured ape seeming to nod in understanding. Mira then turned to the other ape. "Will you hold his arms down? I don't want him to hit me by accident while I remove the bullet." The ape gave a nod and did as Mira asked. Mira then took a deep breath and carefully dug the pliers into the injured ape's shoulder causing him to whoop out in pain and try to thrash about. Mira huffed straddling the ape's waist, using what little body weight she had to keep the poor ape pinned until she removed the bullet. Once the ape had stopped thrashing about, Mira rolled off of him and grabbed her bandages. "I'm going to bandage that now okay?" she said, but before either could say or motion a word, a groan sounded behind Mira and when she turned Jason had his gun pointed on the uninjured ape. "What are you doing?" Mira questioned nervously. "Get away from her ape, or I will shoot you." Jason warned shakily. The ape growled, baring his teeth, and Mira thought as if time slowed down.

Jason shot the gun and Mira leapt in front of the ape, the bullet that would have hit the ape in the chest instead burying into her left side of her stomach as a spear simultaneously skewered Jason all the way through the chest instantly killing him. Mira let out a gasp of pain as she fell to the ground, blood pouring out of her wound even as she held a hand to it. When she managed to sit up once more, she found herself surrounded by primates of all sorts, though most were apes. A bigger one, whose body was mangled with scars and patches where little or no fur covered, came roaring forward only to be stopped by the one I had just saved. They both seemed to communicate back and forth through some version of sign language as Mira simply watched as she struggled to stay upright. The smaller must have said something specific for the scarred one froze, his head snapping towards the injured woman. He then huffed and began to approach her, eyes narrowed, but before he could attack her, the injured ape had somehow put himself between the two and hissed before weakly signing. The larger one growled, fangs showing, and pushed the injured aside before raising his hand to hit Mira. "STOP!" a powerful and booming voice rung throughout the forest and the scarred ape froze, his hand less than an inch from Mira's cheek. All turned to see none other than the famous Caesar the ape himself, starring down at the commotion. "Step… away… Koba." Caesar said as he made his way down to in front of Mira as Koba obeyed and stepped back. Caesar then turned to Mira and knelt down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! I'mmm baaack! Here's the next chapter. And for my lovely followers of my other story THE DEMON"S MORTAL I apologize and swear I am working on the next chapter hang in there. Don't forget to read and review!**

_Italic's= _Ape sign language

Chapter 2 Caesar's POV

"You human… save Ash… why?" Caesar asked his voice much clearer than the others but still choppy. The human woman gave a smile that made every ape that saw it fill with a warm feeling, even Koba. "I saved him because it's what was right." She replied sweetly, though Caesar could see the pain she hid behind her smile. "Why save one who is not of your own species?" Caesar asked. "Why wouldn't I? If someone is in danger or hurt and it is their doing, why wouldn't you help that person?" The female reasoned, a sadness filled her eyes as she looked over to the male human. Koba, who had somehow survived the attack in the city, came to Caesar and began to sign.

"_She is a human… Cannot trust humans... Even if she saved my son's life…"_ Koba stated, though Caesar could see a look in the scarred ape's face that told him that even he saw potential in the human. "_She is young; her mate is dead by your spear. You're the reason she is alone now. She had everything to lose when the male shot at Kulu, yet she still protected him. If she was not trust worthy would she have done that? We all owe her our life." _Caesar countered. Koba merely huffed, but seemed to give the female an almost thankful glance. "_What will we do with her? Female is wounded and mate is dead…_" Before Koba could finish his sentence, the female interrupted.

"He… He wasn't my mate. The man you killed wasn't my mate…" She said softly, her voice wavering slightly. "He was my brother… we were the only two in our entire city who were genetically immune to the flu virus… everyone else… my mother… my… by boyfriend… everyone else died." She continued her words losing their intensity and strength by the minute. Both apes looked to each other. "Human female alone… must help… must repay debt…" Caesar reasoned to Koba, who felt guilt for the first time towards a human. Koba nodded in understanding. When both looked back to the female, she was unconscious, and a cold sweat mixed with the rain on her skin.

A look of pain had painted her face and her hand was now limp against the wound in her shoulder as blood flowed freely between the slender digits of her fingers. Caesar called out to Luca, the large silver back gorilla, who came forward swiftly, despite his massive size. "_Must bring female back to home; wound is bad, need Maurice to look at it._" Caesar quickly signed to the large gorilla, which nodded with a grunt in return and gently picked up the female, cradling her to his chest like a mother would a newborn.

~~~~~~~~~ time skip to home tree~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the herd had gotten back to the tree, Caesar led Luca up to one of the spare rooms of their home, where Buck, with great care, gently laid the female on the soft leaves that made up the bedding. Maurice, who must have been alerted of the situation, had just entered the room when the female regained consciousness. As she opened her eyes, Caesar found himself locked in the gaze of her bicoloured eyes. The right was an earthy, woody brown while the other was a startling blue, as if someone had poured the cleanest of ocean water into it.

But she did not seem to see him nor any of the others as she instantly panicked, thrashing about as Luca held her down rather forcefully by the waist. She didn't say anything though, other than the odd grunt or gritting of teeth as she struggled against the great gorilla's grasp. Maurice seem to know what to do the instant she began to fight against Luca and loped his way over to the struggling female putting his large elongated hand on her head, stroking her hair in a manner that seemed to slowly calm her to the point where she no longer struggled. She seemed to suddenly recognize those around her and even relaxed a little. "_What did you do to calm her?_" Caesar asked the orangutan, who seemed to grin at the leader. _"I reassured her with physical contact. She is like any other female of the animal realm. Easily startled by an unknown environment and quick to go on defense and offense if they feel threatened… you cannot calm a female with brute strength; you have to use assurance and love._" Maurice explained as Luca continued to hold the females waist. She began shifting uncomfortably with a pained expression on her face. "He's hurting me… my side… it hurts…" the small female whimpered as tears filled her eyes. All eyes in the room turned to Luca's grip as realization struck that he had been and was continuing to grip onto her damaged side. And as Luca removed his hands from her waist, he saw that a layer of blood coated not only his own hand but the female's side as well. The large gorilla held regret in his eyes as he apologized continuously in sign language to the female who simply let out a pained chuckle, smiling once more. "It's … It's alright… it was an accident… my name is Mira by the way." The female laughed. Luca signed his name and she nodded then turned to Maurice. "And what of yours doctor Orangutan?" she asked. "M…Maurice." Maurice said. Again, Mira nodded seeming to doze off until she was once again in a blissful sleep. Then Maurice shooed everyone out of the room so he could take care of her wounds without disturbance, looking forward to when she woke up next, fully bandaged and energized.

**Hey guys! whaddo ya'll think? PLEASE! review and send me a pm about any ideas or characters you guys want to see about any of my stories! see you all around! PEACE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I want to thank all those who commented and sent me PMs and who are now following this story. As well I would like to apologize to those who believe my writing to not be as organized as a professional. Keep in mind I am only sixteen going on seventeen so be easier on me. Anyways I am still figuring out who to pair Mira with, so this chapter will mostly be on how Mira deals with what happened last time with a few of the characters. Without further ado ENJOY!**

'_Ape sign language'_

Normal talking

Chapter three

Mira's POV

When Mira awoke next at first all she could feel was a numbing pain in her shoulder, but as she began to regain her senses, she felt the softness of leaves beneath her and a warm softness on top of her, shielding her from the cold and frigid air. That was when the previous day came ramming back onto her full force. Her brother was dead, she was wounded herself and, above all, she was in the ape's home turf now without anyone with her. She was completely and utterly alone for the first time ever in her life, and she couldn't cope any longer.

Maurice's POV

Maurice was on his way back to his own room when he heard it, the faint sound of a broken soul. It was soft and nearly inaudible, but he could make out the sounds of someone crying. After a few seconds of listening, he realized the heartbreaking sound was coming from the human female, Mira's, room. Maurice move quickly, hurrying to the room to find that Mira had sat up and curled her knees closer than he thought possible to her chest with her arms wrapped around tightly as she could , her face buried within the sanctuary it created for her.

Maurice gave a noise to let the human female be known of his presence so as to not scare her. Mira jumped a little and looked up from her ball. Her face was red and her eyes puffy from crying and Maurice could see the sadness within them. '_Why female so sad?' _Maurice signed looking at Mira with worry and pity.

"Everything that happened yesterday is flooding me and I'm not good at dealing with it." Mira sniffled. "I've just lost my only remaining family, leaving me alone for the first time in my life. And on top of that I'm not even sure if I can deal with it all on my own…" Mira rambled on, furiously trying to wipe away the tears that continued to streak down her cheeks, but stopped when she realized the tears wouldn't.

Maurice just sat there beside her in silence, partially because he was unsure what to do, and partially because he was afraid to do something and have Mira panic on him. Luckily for Maurice, Mira had helped him by scooting a little closer to him and was now leaning against his arm, still crying, much in the manner that the females of his own species would do when distressed.

He decided to then treat Mira as if she were just another female primate in the faction, and gently wrapped his long arms around her small body, practically engulfing her within them. That was when she no longer held back her emotions and cried all of her sorrows into his arms as Maurice gave a noise that hopefully sounded relaxing. Eventually, Mira finally managed to cease her emotional outburst and pulled gently away from Maurice who felt relieved that she had recovered enough to show that she was not scarred too badly from the previous day's events. "_Need to check your wounds."_ Maurice signed and Mira nodded in understanding, though she winced when Maurice removed the bandages he had put on the day prior and replaced them with new ones once he had deemed it untroubled other than the fact she had been shot.

"What is it you are going to do with me? I know humans aren't allowed onto your turf." She then asked, her voice wavering as she did so.

"Human will leave once she is healed. No place for her here." Koba growled as he entered the room, terrifying the life out of Mira who instantly coward and bowed her head submissively towards Koba as he moved closer to her.

"I understand… after all I'm the whole reason you have scars since I'm human." Mira answered softly, her voice shaking as Maurice could see tears threatening to spill out once more and the look of hurt in her eyes.

Maurice went over to Koba and gave him a grunt of disapproval. "_Human female is all alone, she has no family. Why must you continue to treat her so badly?"_ Maurice signed making sure that his back was to Mira so she wouldn't be able to see what he was signing.

"_Human is weak, she will weaken us! She is nothing but a weak link. She will do nothing but ruin us!"_ Koba growled, causing Mira to let a small fearful whimper. "_See? She nothing more than a weakling!" _

Maurice let out a growl of his own, his eyes narrowing at the scarred ape. "_She is not weak, she is merely scared because she is alone and the only human among us, just as I know you were the only amongst her kind in that zoo!_" Maurice signed. This seemed to trigger something in Koba for he paused through mid-growl and looked at the human. Maurice could see something turning inside Koba's head, though for good or bad, Maurice was unsure.

~~~~ Koba's POV ~~~~

Koba felt the memories flood back of that accursed zoo and remembered the exact fear he was certain the human was feeling at the present. He could see it to, in her eyes that were wide with fear. He could see the pure terror she felt and the absolute fright that one only felt when they lost absolutely everything. He could see the pain she was keeping hidden caused from her wounded shoulder and from something so much deeper. It was the pain of someone who was alone in the world without anyone to help them through it. Even Koba had someone in the zoo, but the female before him had absolutely no one.

Koba felt as if he could relate to the broken female before him, more so than anyone in the tribe, and that both scared and relieved him. He felt the need to protect her from the harm the world could cause, to fight off any who threatened her and he felt fear mixed with a glimmer of hope. It scared him because he was unsure whether or not he could put his trust into the small female, and it relieved him for it meant he was no longer alone.

He began to see the female before him not as a human stranger but as someone he could consider calling family… maybe even daughter.

**Hey Y'all! What did you think? Should he accept Mira as family and who should she be paired with? Don't forget to R and R and don't hesitate to send a pm voicing your opinion! See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4: a sad tale

**HEY EVERYONE! Sorry for taking so long to update. I have been too caught up in school so yeah sorry. I also realize that Ash is Rockets son so I apologize for that and from this point forward he will return to his rightful spot as Koba's nephew. Anyways here we go. Also at the bottom of the page is a toll of who wants Mira paired with whom so yeah! **

'_Ape sign language'_

Normal talking

Chapter 4

Maurice's POV  
Maurice noticed Koba's softening expression towards their newest member and couldn't help but smile internally at his comrade's sudden change in feelings. Koba had been hateful far too long in Maurice's opinion and this human girl seemed to be exactly what Koba needed to change that. Mira had not even been in their home for a full day and already she had such a strong influence on the members of his family.

Maurice returned his gaze back to Mira who simply sat on the nest still looking fearful of everything around her. Maurice could practically smell the fear on her body, rolling off of her in waves. Although he could understand it, he knew the fear she probably felt just as he was certain Koba was.

Koba's POV

Koba began to realize that the last time he felt anything remotely like what he was feeling towards a human was with his past human caregiver Mary, only instead of filling the role of a mother figure, Mira was filling a space he thought would never be filled again.

Carefully he approached the fearful female and knelt down to her level so he was able to look her in the eyes. But she did not hold his gaze long and quickly dropped it in a submissive manner, not even daring to glance back up.

"Do not have to fear me… Will not harm…" Koba spoke softly, though it still held a gruffness to it that caused Mira to flinch away. "Why are you so hateful?" She asked softly with tears filling her eyes. Koba would have laughed at the irony. "Humans did this." Was all he said, motioning to his scarred and damaged body. Mira's eyes instantly went to his scarred eye and travelled until she had scanned over his entire body. "You were abused by my kind." She deducted her voice soft and kind as her brows furrowed slightly.

Koba merely nodded sitting beside her carefully, still keeping his eyes on her unique ones. "We humans can be so cruel, that's why I became a doctor, to help people on the bad end of the stick. At least that was what Shadow would tell me." Mira sighed, wincing slightly at her wounded side.

Maurice's POV

A pregnant silence fell between the trios before finally Maurice decided to "speak".

'_You had a mate before sickness?' _He asked, unsure of how Mira would react to such a personal question. "He wasn't exactly my mate, we never actually mated or anything. We were just dating or courting as you would probably call it. His name was Shadow and he was just a couple years older than me. He died from the first wave when the virus struck." Mira explained reaching into her pants pockets and pulling out a worn, soft edged photo depicting two humans, one was obviously Mira judging from the unique bicoloured eyes and the other a male much taller than her with sandy brown hair and deep green eyes. He had an arm around Mira's shoulders and was placing a kiss on her cheek with a smile.

Mira looked at the photo fondly, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "He was going to take me to the ocean one day and build a little house on the edge of the cliff overlooking the water." Mira said her words soft and filled with nostalgia of the past. She seemed to zone out for a minute before shaking her head, folding back up the photo and returning it to its spot in her pocket. "Any ways, when Shadow died, any hopes of those dreams coming true died with him." She sighed turning away from the primate's. Maurice could see a single running down her face, but she quickly wiped it away. Though he felt sorry that Mira had lost someone she held with such respect and love, it also gave him a sense of reassurance somehow at the fact that Mira was bound to no one.

It made him slightly guilty and sick to feel these things, but one look at the fragile human and such guilt disappeared. She was beautiful, even as she sat wounded and covered in filth, and even despite the fact that she was a human. Koba seemed to also find a great interest in the human, but left quickly, giving Maurice a grunt before he left, signing that he would be visiting again.

And once again Maurice was left alone with the female, who had yawned and begun to lie back down once more. Maurice thought this an appropriate time to make his own departure, but found himself stopped by Mira's small hand on his wrist.

"Please don't leave me alone." She begged tiredly, looking at Maurice with eyes filled with both fear and fatigue. Maurice found himself unable to say no, instead giving a nod to which Mira returned with a small, nearly invisible smile. Maurice then sat by Mira's side and gently stroked her hair, causing her to give a small hum of approval as she drifted off into a blissful sleep. Her hand still lightly clutching Maurice's arm.

**Hey everyone so here's the poll so far:**

**Maurice - 5**

**Blue Eyes – 2**

**Caesar – 3**

**Koba - 0**

**Although I won't be pairing Mira with Caesar simply because he already has a mate and I plan on keeping those two together. Sorry anyone who has been voting for this, but it just does not sit well with me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, sorry for the wait… it's exam season and I have MATH AND BIOLOGY this semester so things have been a little tense. But in two weeks time I am free of school for the summer so expect more updates!**

**Without Further ado HERE…WE…GO!**

'_Ape sign language'_

Normal talking

Chapter 5

Mira's Pov

When Mira awoke, Maurice was no longer at her side, nor was any other ape. This sent Mira into a panicky state. She began to hyperventilate, afraid she had been abandoned. Her mind began to race, thinking she had been left for the wolves and that she was alone once more. Pain from her wounds began to throb, only adding to her panicked state. Mira curled into a ball, letting off a whimpering noise as she began to lapse into a full on panic attack.

Blue Eye's POV

Blue eye's had been wondering around when he heard the whimpering sound originating from the cave his father had told him an injured human resided. He had told Blue eye's not to enter the residence in case he terrified the human further. But at the sound of a distressed female, he couldn't abide by his father and entered the cave. Inside he found the curled up and shivering form of a female human. She was smaller than any other he had ever seen and was heavily bandaged from wounds that Blue eye's could not quite make it out.

It was from her that the obviously distressed whimpers came from, and Blue eyes knew she was having a panic attack. She muttered something amongst her whimpers that he could not pick out. He moved silently closer until he was able to pick out what she was saying, or rather who.

"Maurice… Koba…." She whimpered over and over again curling up so tight Blue eyes feared she would snap her own bones. He quickly turned and ran out of the cave heading to the dining area where he knew both males resided. When he arrived, sure enough, Maurice and Koba sat across from one another eating food and making small talk. Blue eyes ran over to the males and gathered the duo's attention.

'_The female is awake. She is panicking greatly. I can smell only fear and anxiety on her. She is calling for you two over and over again. You should see to her before her heart gives out or she does something unwise.'_ Blue eyes signed frantically, his entire body language screaming anxiety and stress. Both males looked at each other before running off as fast as they could with Blue eyes closely following.

Maurice's POV

When they arrived to the cave the trio stopped, Maurice and Koba both assessing the situation before they figured out how to proceed. Maurice was the first to approach Mira, proceeding cautiously as he lopped over to the female. The smell of fear, anxiety and distress saturated the air as he came nearer and nearer. When he was finally at Mira's side he gently placed a large hand on her shoulder causing Mira to jolt and turn instinctively. Her eyes were overflowing with tears as they widened at the sight of Maurice. She gasped before practically launching herself at Maurice, clinging to his long orange fur as she sobbed and shivered.

"I thought you had abandoned me. I woke up and you were gone. I thought you left me for good. I was terrified." She sobbed clutching his fur even tighter. Maurice left loose a strand of chatter noises that resembled that of a cat purring, seeming to ease Mira slowly. Eventually, she had calmed enough to loosen her grip of Maurice's fur and relax her over-stressed muscles.

"Is Koba here as well?" She asked softly, looking at Maurice with hopeful eyes. Maurice gave a nod, and Mira slowly turned in his arms and peaked over his shoulder, her eyes crinkling at the corners in a smile when their eyes met.

Both Koba and Blue eyes chuckled at the humorous and childish actions of Mira. Koba then moved to Mira and sat in front of both her and Maurice, looking at Mira with caution. But Mira was still perched; peeking over Maurice's shoulders at Blue eyes with curiosity her head tilting slightly as she did. Maurice turned slightly and motioned for Blue eyes to come closer.

Blue eyes POV

Blue Eyes approached the female human with great caution, the image of her whimpering and shivering form still fresh in his mind.

"You were the one who get Maurice and Koba weren't you." She said softly, her head still tilted slightly as she sat relaxed against Maurice, Koba's hand absent mindedly running over hers as she spoke.

Blue Eyes gave a small nod and shifted slightly when she lurched forward wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"Thank you, you didn't need to help but you did and for that I am thankful." She said with a smile. Blue eyes remained stalk still for a minute, unsure as to how to react before giving in to instincts and returning the hug, though much more loosely. Only when he had done this did the small female finally release him.

"What is your name?" She asked in a soft, melodic voice. Blue Eyes thumped his chest.

"Blue Eyes." He replied before gently thumping hers and tilting his head.

"Mira" she responded giving her chest a thump as well. Blue Eyes gave Mira a smile and knew that she was different from the others that there had been.

A growling noise emanated from Mira's stomach causing a reddish color to tint her cheeks.

'_Human is hungry. Should take her to get food._' Blue Eyes signed to the older males who both nodded in agreement. Maurice nudged Mira who turned to look at him.

'_Your wounds healed enough for you to move. We will take you to food hall to eat and drink. We will not leave your side._' Maurice signed and Mira gave a hesitant nod.

~~~~~~ Time skip to dine hall~~~~~~

Mira's POV

The food hall was filled with ape's primates and various others when they entered, all of whom froze and stared as Maurice and Koba led her inside with Blue Eyes trailing closely behind. Among the many present, Mira recognized Buck and Caesar, who both made their way over to her. Buck gave Mira a nod of reassurance as he placed her so she sat mounted on his back, causing her to give a squeak and the males to give a laugh. Caesar stood to his full height and spoke.

"HUMAN'S NAME IS MIRA. SHE IS FRIEND TO APE'S. SHE IS FAMILY TO APE'S. NO ONE HURT MIRA. MAY SPEAK WITH HER AND APPROACH BUT DO NOT HURT." He bellowed aloud causing Mira to flinch at the volume he used. All of the ape's seemed to let their leaders words sink in before they continued to eat, giving only polite glances as Buck passed by them with Mira on his back flanked by Maurice and Koba and trailed by Blue Eyes with Caesar at the front. Mira wanted to shrink into oblivion but settled with flattening herself as close as she possible could to Buck who gave a reassuring huff and pat on Mira's hand.

When they reached what Mira assumed was the head fire, Buck gently helped Mira from his back placing her beside Mira guessed to be Caesar's mate and young son.

"Cornelia." Caesar said motioning to the female. The little one in her arms wiggled his way out and began to climb enthusiastically on Mira who gave a smile and laughed when he perched himself on her shoulder gently tugging at her hair.

"Milo." He then said.

"Cornelia and Milo." She repeated, and was rewarded with a nod from Cornelia and a chirp from Milo who was now on top of her head hanging his upper body down in front of her face causing her to laugh again. She carefully reached up and detached him from her head bringing him down so he sat on her lap. He became interested in Mira's hand and placed his much smaller one in it, seeming to compare the sizes. "Yours is much smaller isn't it?" She cooed relaxing her fingers so he could fully examine the size difference. "But one day it will be much bigger and then you'll be big and strong like your father right?" she continued in a soft and gentle tone. Milo seemingly understanding her gave another chirp and nodded vigorously.

No one's POV

All of the members at the table shared a laugh, a renewed sense of happiness flooding the atmosphere as everyone who was able to see observed Mira interacting with their leader's younger son. Members chuckled and joked back and forth when Milo hung off of Mira's arm nearly falling off if not for Mira's steady hand keeping him balanced. Suddenly, little Milo climbed so he was face to face with Mira and simply stared at her with curiosity. He then reached out and patted her check before dragging his tiny clawed fingers down it breaking skin and leaving three small scratches. Mira winced with only a small sound of discomfort, but not making any sign of aggression or retaliation towards the little ape.

"Now that was not very nice. You need to be careful with those little claws of yours." She scolded, though everyone could tell she was merely jesting. Milo tilted his head at her before sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry at her, which she returned with a smile. Caesar and Koba both let out a bellow of laughter at the sight, relieved that she had not reacted badly.

Milo then decided he had enough of his new found playmate for now and returned to his mother's awaiting arms. 

Maurice's POV

Maurice was surprised by how well Mira reacted to being wounded by the small infant and found himself constantly being surprised by the small female human.

Dinner progressed without excitement, and it was only when Mira had finished eating did when other apes decided to finally approach the newest member of their family. It was the little ones who approached first, all of whom were filled with curiosity towards the strange female. They would tug at her clothes and body, including her hair and fingers, sometimes causing Mira to wince in pain. But she let them continue their explorations of her with a small smile upon her face and a laugh filling the air every now and then when one of the young ones prodded an apparently ticklish spot. Soon enough, they made a game of it, the objective was to try and get to her ticklish spot before she could tickle them. Eventually, the youngling's parents called them back to their respective spots, leaving Mira to fix herself as older members began to approach.

Some merely sat near and observed her while others signed her questions, which Mira answered as best as she could.

'_What happened to your stomach?_' Jinx, a female friend of Maurice's, asked curiously looking at her still bandaged side. Mira shifted nervously, showing great discomfort as she scooted closer to Maurice.

'_She jumped in the way of a bullet that would have killed Kulu. She saved one of our own at her own expense._' Maurice signed, easing Mira's jittery nature with gentle strokes down her back.

Others came and went and soon enough males around her age began to approach her.

They asked questions about her favorite flowers and foods, interested in the new potential mate. The thought of Mira mated with another made Maurice unusually jealous. In every male that approached her, Maurice would be able to point out at least five flaws with each.

'_Why don't you have a mate?_' One finally asked, and Maurice was able to physically see Mira stiffen with unease. Her hands clenched and unclenched in her lap as she obviously struggled with an internal battle. The male, who was a young silverback named Ace, realized his error and promptly tried to apologize. But Mira merely shook her head and smiled.

"You do not need to apologize. I just haven't found one yet." She finally answered, avoiding the full truth with ease.

After the incident, the evening progressed with ease. Mira stayed by one of the males the entire evening until she grew too tired and fell asleep atop Buck who suppressed a laugh in order to allow Mira sleep.

They returned to her cave where Maurice, Koba, Buck and his brother Luca all decided to nest for the night in case Mira had another panic attack.

To further insure that incident would not occur again, Maurice and Koba both nested on either side of Mira, enveloping her in a circle of warmth as they drifted off to sleep.

**Thanks for everyone who is following and/or reading my stuff. You have no idea how big of a booster that is for me. Don't forget to R and R and vote for who you think Mira should be paired with and PM me if you have any ideas you would like to see for it.**

**Ciao For Now!**


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